Report: Flyers sign St. Lawrence captain Kyle Flanagan

Paul Holmgren is hoping Kyle Flanagan could be as good a find as Matt Read. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Over the past few years, Paul Holmgren and the Flyers’ front office have tapped into the college free agent market with a lot of success. Erik Gustafsson and Matt Read were both from the college pool and Holmgren is hoping Kyle Flanagan will be the next big thing despite his small frame.

Flanagan signed a one-year deal with the Flyers, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie[2], and will sign a professional tryout with the Adirondack Phantoms for the rest of this season. Flanagan’s contract with the Flyers won’t pick up until next season.

At 5-foot-9 and 179 pounds, the undersized forward is a curious signing. The Flyers probably won’t have room for them on their NHL roster next season and only a couple forwards deeper in their system are set to become restricted free agents this summer (Shane Harper, Eric Wellwood and Mitch Wahl).

In 35 games this season, the Canton, N.Y. native scored 15 goals and 32 assists. Flanagan was the team’s captain each of the last two years. He had his appendix removed in late February, but had a five-point weekend last week in a sweep of Colgate in the first round of the ECAC playoffs. For his efforts, he’s the ECAC player of the week. The St. Lawrence Saints’ season ended Saturday. Yale won the first two games of the best-of-three series.